No formal education, but he earns like a graduate

BY MOSES MICHIRA

Elisha Olola’s day has never passed without a job in the last 22 years he has worked as a plumber.

And now the deal is only getting better even though he does not have any formal training in his career.

Monge’eri Omwoyo, the Operations Director at Makuyo Construction Company, says finding skilled workers like Mr Olola is a nightmare since most young people shunned artisan courses.

 “We are acutely short of skilled construction workers which has heightened competition for the few that are available,” says Omwoyo, whose firm employs 20 skilled workers, about half of its need.

He adds that most of the workers in the sector came through as casual labourers but gained the skills over time at construction sites.

Excellent artisans

“You can get excellent artisans but they have no certificates from any institution, they start as casual workers then learn from the fundi,” says Sue Muraya, the Executive Director of Suraya Property Group.

Ms Muraya cites the closure of technical colleges and their subsequent conversion to universities as one of the biggest causes for the shortage of qualified personnel from the educational system.

Mr Olola is paid not less than Sh1,000 a day but this could still go as much as Sh2,500, depending on the type of work he does.

 “Demand for plumbers and other construction workers is high now and contractors know they have to pay well to attract skilled people for their project,” says Mr Olola.

He represents a crop of workers who defied the popular thinking that people with some formal education should be employed in offices in white-collar jobs.

His initial wish was to be an electrician, but his family did not have the means to take him to college. He, therefore, opted to learn plumbing through apprenticeship. Comparing his current pay with most people with similar educational qualifications and working in offices, he is far better remunerated.

Since his income is not taxed, given that he is employed in the informal sector, his take home compares to that of most entry-level bankers who have attained university education. But even with the preference among learners for university education, fresh trends in the Kenyan labour market show that the lower cadre jobs have better prospects and employers are willing to pay a premium on them.

So bad is the shortage that Chinese contractors who have taken up most of the infrastructure contracts have to import some of their skilled workers, yet unemployment in Kenya is above 50 per cent.

“The country does not have enough skilled labourers, this is why you see Chinese contractors coming with their own labourers,” said Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi.

Skilled workers

The shortage of skilled workers has been felt in labour exchange bureaus, which go for months without being able to fill vacant positions for painters, fabricators and plumbers.

Yet, there are millions of job applications received from college graduates who have qualifications in fields like marketing, accounting and human resource management, whom the employment bureaus cannot place.

 “I can’t seem to find candidates to fill these positions,” said Charles Oyuga in a past interview.

Mr Oyuga is responsible for placing job seekers employment within the Industrial Area zone.

Labour market experts apportion part of the blame to a widening disengagement between educational and training institutions on one side, and the industry whose needs are evolving to render graduates redundant even before they enter employment.